Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Chapter 3 ended with the voice of God the Father saying: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” The first words spoken here in chapter 4 are: “If you are the Son of God." The first thing Satan will often try to do in tempting us to sin is attack our identity, by trying to convince us we are more, less, or other than who God made us to be. For Jesus, Satan wanted Him to doubt His relationship with the Father. This one phrase raises all sorts of questions in one's mind: Had the Father robbed Him of His abilities as God when He sent Him to earth? Would the Father be there for Him when the going got tough? Wouldn't Jesus be better off just taking control of His own life and make sure His felt needs were met? The same thing happened in the garden at the Fall - Satan wanted Eve and Adam to doubt the Goodness of God, and to trust in themselves instead of God. He wanted them to think more of their own abilities, and his wisdom, than they did of God. He wanted them to think that being the crown of God's creation was not enough. Satan wants us to forget that we are God's masterpiece. He wants believers to forget we are His children. He wants us to doubt God's goodness as a loving heavenly Father. He wants us to trust in him. How do we battle this deception? Jesus puts it simply: stick with the truth. Stick with what God has said. Stick with Who God really is, who you really are, and how that promises God will be there for you.
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